Stories of the War
by Unhobbity Hobbit
Summary: Bergil is having trouble getting his friends to believe what he achieved during the War of the Ring. Perhaps Pippin turning up will help them believe.


A/N: This is very bookverse and so if you haven't read the book you may not know who the heck these characters are, so here are some things you will need to know:  
  
Bergil is the son of a Guard of the Citadel who showed Pippin the ropes when he first became one. Pippin was sent by Bergil's father to find Bergil so that they would both have something to do, during this time they became friends and afterwards he helped Merry and Pippin to the Houses of Healing (after Merry stabbed the Witch-king) by way of fetching Gandalf. Pippin saved Bergil's father from being squashed under a troll, though it resulted in him being squashed instead. Also, in the book the women and children were sent away from Minas Tirith for the duration of the war. I think that's all you need to know.  
  
Stories of the War  
  
Bergil was playing with his friends. His friends whose mothers and fathers did not let them stay in the city during the war and were sent away with the other women and children. So, naturally, this meant there were many questions. Of course not all of these questions were being asked for the first time and that was mostly because the other boys were finding it hard to believe what Bergil said. They believed that he had helped in the Houses of Healing and seen Faramir and that his father had fought before the black gate and been caught beneath a troll. They also believed that Bergil had gone to see his father when he was healing and subsequently had been there to honour the Ringbearers.  
  
They did not believe he had spent time and become friends with one of the halflings, _Ernil i Pheriannath_ no less. Nor did they believe that Bergil had come across him and his cousin – the one who helped to slay the Witch- king – and been sent to find Mithrandir. They did not even believe that his father's life had been saved by this halfling, very nearly at the expense of his own. All in all they found it to be a very tall tale. This annoyed Bergil greatly; they would believe that two halflings, no taller than himself (though apparently quite the bit older) had walked across the plains of the Black land and destroyed the very Ring of power which the Dark lord himself looked for and yet it was beyond them to believe that he had even spoken to a halfling.  
  
"So did you ever actually talk with Mithrandir?" Bergil eyed the boy who had asked and threw the ball to him, they were playing catch, not very imaginative perhaps, but it was better than being at home hanging out the washing.  
  
"Of course I did, how else would I get him to go find Pippin? Write him notes?" most of the seven boys sighed and rolled their eyes.  
  
"Stop trying to fool us, we know you didn't once speak with him, you're just trying to get us more jealous that you stayed and we didn't. Besides, what kind of name is Pippin for a prince? It's a kind of apple for goodness' sake!"  
  
"It's a fitting name for a prince of halflings, they talk about food enough to name their children after it, besides his full name is Peregrin." The boys looked at him with, if it was possible, even less belief than they'd had to begin with.  
  
"You just made that up! Why didn't you say it before?"  
  
"I might've if I thought it would make any difference, which it plainly hasn't" Bergil threw the ball on to the next person harder than he usually would. If only Pippin would come to talk to him, that would show the other boys. But he was being selfish and he knew it, no doubt Pippin would rather be elsewhere with his kin, they had been separated for quite a while. He decided to change the subject and asked what the other boys did while they were travelling and if they'd come up with a new game of some kind. He didn't really listen to the answer; he was still smouldering about the unfairness of it all.  
  
"Bergil! Bergil! There you are at last!" Bergil turned to see who had called his name, it wasn't often that he was looked for. His face brightened immediately, it was as though someone somewhere had heard his thoughts and sought to remedy all of his problems. They had succeeded. "I never thought it would be so hard to find you but this is a big city I suppose." Bergil shot a quick satisfied smile over his shoulder and they other boys, who were staring in shock.  
  
"Yes Pippin, it is." Pippin waved at the rest of the boys, he got a few reactions but none of them were very enthusiastic. "What do you want? Do you need someone to be fetched? Some company? Or are you looking for another tour of the city?" Pippin laughed but shook his head.  
  
"No, it is I who have been sent to find you this time. Your father claims to need some help with his chores, his injuries are still ailing him it seems."  
  
"Claims to would be the right phrase I'd say. Why, he keeps telling me how gravely you were injured and here you are as fit as you could be while my father, with no more than a badly sprained ankle, sits at home sending me to do anything that requires movement for him!" Bergil said, though fondly, he'd much rather his father with a sprained ankle than anything worse, even if the ankle should, by all rights, be healed by now.  
  
"Aye, adults are the bane of us children's lives. Fro example, I thought there'd be no harm in bringing my cousins to visit your father as he did help me greatly but little did I know that it would end with me searching all over the city for you, young lad." Bergil raised his eyebrow.  
  
"Don't exaggerate, you're barely a circle up." Pippin smiled at him.  
  
"Well we should be off, it was nice to meet you all!" said Pippin to the near-forgotten and still unmoving boys behind Bergil. Upon receiving no reaction Pippin turned and began walking back down to Bergil's home. Bergil's friends suddenly burst into noise, asking more questions than ever about the truth of the rest of the stories, if he knew anything about the other halflings or if he'd met anyone else in the Houses of Healing.  
  
"Sorry, you heard Pippin, my father needs me!" and with that he turned and ran after Pippin, leaving behind him a very bewildered group of boys.

FIN

Ernil i Pheriannath = Prince of halflings (a name they gave Pippin in Minas Tirith, just in case you didn't know) 


End file.
